The amazing bond between a severely
disabled 6-year-old boy
and his Thai rescue dog was recognised
on Sunday 8th March
at the Crufts 2015 dog show. "Miracle",
rescued from Thailand's illegal dog meat
trade and adopted by the Leask family in
Strathglass, Scotland, beat over 200 other
entrants to pick up the prestigious Crufts
Eukaneba Friends for Life award.
Yet just a couple of years ago, things
looked much different for the Thai crossbreed.
Miracle was snatched from the
streets of north east Thailand and loaded
onto a truck with hundreds and hundreds
of other stolen dogs, all destined for the dog
meat restaurants of Hanoi in Vietnam.

Luckily for Miracle, the truck carrying
him to what would have been a slow and
agonisingly painful death was intercepted
by agents working for the Phuket-based
Thai animal welfare charity Soi Dog Foundation,
who've been fighting the illegal
trade for the past four years. The dogs were
taken to a purpose built shelter in north east
Thailand, and adopters were sought.
Amanda Leask spotted Miracle's photo
shortly after he'd been rescued on a Soi Dog
Facebook post. Devastated by his plight
and the hopelessness of his situation, she
enquired about adopting him. Already an
owner of three rescue dogs from Soi Dog,
Amanda very soon had her fourth.

Amanda's son Kyle, 6, was born with
cerebral palsy, and was later diagnosed
with autism. It is incredibly difficult for him
to communicate with his family. Amanda
decided to adopt some small dogs to be
company for him, having heard that autistic
people can develop extremely close relationships
with dogs. Miracle is the latest of
them, but it's Kyle and Miracle who have
developed a remarkably close bond, where
there appears to be a complete unspoken
mutual understanding.
As Amanda says: "They've both faced
so much hardship in their lives, it's like
there's an unspoken language between
them. When Kyle gets upset because he
can't convey what he wants to, Miracle will
go and lay at his side for Kyle to touch and
stroke. Miracle seems to automatically know
when Kyle needs him".
Amanda added: "If Kyle simply wants
some attention, Miracle will go over and
shower him with kisses. And it works the
other way too. Kids can build up confidence in dogs where they seek solace, and Miracle
gets this in abundance from Kyle".

The unique bond between man and dog is still yet to be explained fully. But Amanda
knows how much it has helped Kyle. "He
seems so much happier in the presence of
Miracle.

It's like they're soul mates."
Miracle won £1,500 for his Crufts
award, and Amanda will share the money
between Soi Dog and the Autistic Society.

For more information on cerebral palsy,
please visit http://www.ninds.nih.gov,
and for information on autism, go to http://www.autism.org.uk.
If you would like to adopt a Thai dog meat trade rescue dog, please visit
www.soidog.org for details.